No. 15-1002
Appeal from the United States District Court for the Northern
District of West Virginia, at Wheeling.
Frederick P. Stamp,
Jr., Senior District Judge. (5:12-cv-00086-FPS-JES)
Submitted:
Decided:
PER CURIAM:
Levert Smith and Nelson Radford, as administrators of the
Estate
of
Joseph
Jermaine
Porter
(the
Estate),
appeal
the
The claim
See Smith v. Lusk, 533 F. Appx 280 (4th Cir. July 18,
We affirm.
I.
The
Estate
first
challenges
the
district
courts
order
afforded
substantial
discretion
in
managing
discovery.
Nemours & Co., 748 F.3d 160, 172 (4th Cir.), cert. denied, 135
S. Ct. 437 (2014).
district
courts
decision
is
3
guided
by
erroneous
legal
attorney-client
applicable.
and
work
product
privileges
are
1998).
Because this is a diversity action, the elements of the
attorney-client
privilege
are
governed
by
West
Virginia
law.
Fed. R. Evid. 501; Ashcraft v. Conoco, Inc., 218 F.3d 282, 285
n.5 (4th Cir. 2000) ([I]n a diversity action the availability
of an evidentiary privilege is governed by the law of the forum
state.).
in
his
capacity
as
legal
advisor;
[and]
(3)
the
This privilege
Id. at 89.
case
become
an
intimate
part
of
the
claimed
646
(W.
Va.
2001).
However,
privileged
many
documents
that
could
very
matters,
As a result of this
substantially
aid
are
per
se
outside
the
protection
of
the
privilege;
instead, the court found that the employer failed to meet the
three-part test for application of the privilege.
550 S.E.2d at
650-51.
The
Estate
impliedly
further
waived
argues,
however,
attorney-client
that
privilege
because
may
waive
the
attorney-client
Scottsdale
privilege
case.
by
the
A
asserting
(W.
2003)
Va.
(internal
quotation
marks
omitted).
[A]n
S.E.2d
796,
(W.
Va.
2010)
5
(internal
quotation
marks
omitted).
place
any
attorney-client
privileged
matters
at
issue.
did
not
assert
any
claim
or
defense
Further,
based
on
Estate
also
sought
documents
the
magistrate
judge
product
documents
prepared
litigation.
F.3d
221,
doctrine
confers
by
an
qualified
attorney
in
The
privilege
on
anticipation
of
231
(4th
Cir.
2011).
Work
product
is
generally
need
and
an
inability
to
secure
the
substantial
(internal
quotation
marks
omitted).
[O]pinion
work
only
in
very
rare
and
extraordinary
circumstances.
Id.
Estate
argues
that
the
attorneys
opinions
are
at
the
advice
of
counsel.
Thus,
because
Scottsdale
is
not
the
Estate
circumstances
to
has
overcome
not
the
demonstrated
nearly
extraordinary
absolute
immunity
403. *
II.
de
novo
whether
district
court
erred
in
We
granting
Summary
Fed. R. Civ. P.
WVHRA
v.
creates
Appalachian
three
Heating,
distinct
701
causes
S.E.2d
116,
of
action.
117
(W.
Va.
Va.
Code
5-11-9(7)(A).
The
WVHRA
prohibits
unlawful
Id. at 118.
8
that
the
Estate
failed
to
show
that
Scottsdales
whether
plaintiff
has
established
prima
facie
protected
establish
the
adverse
decision
would
not
status,
between
Scottsdales
decision
and
its
shifts
to
Scottsdale
to
provide
nondiscriminatory
pretext,
did
not
the
act
plaintiff
as
it
did
must
Id. at 430.
prove
because
of
that
its
To
the
offered
explanation.
civil
rights
lawsuit
were
pretextual.
Scottsdale
has
liable,
settlement.
and
the
Citys
refusal
to
consent
to
any
S.E.2d
180
(W.
Va.
1999).
The
Estate
asserts
that
Scottsdales
failure
to
do
10
so
demonstrates
that
its
We
conclude
investigate
that
claims
Scottsdale
that
racial
did
not
animus
have
motivated
duty
the
to
Citys
As the district
recognized
cause
of
action
against
an
insurer
for
insurer
duty
to
investigate
whether
the
City
had
Fairmont
concluded
Specialty
only
that
is
[a]n
an
See
misplaced.
There,
employers
the
liability
in
high
court
harassment
Therefore, we
III.
Accordingly, we affirm the district courts orders.
dispense
with
contentions
are
oral
argument
adequately
because
presented
in
the
the
facts
We
and
legal
materials
before
this Court and argument will not aid the decisional process.
AFFIRMED
11